


Stay With Me

by synnthetic



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-16 08:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17546486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synnthetic/pseuds/synnthetic
Summary: A couple weeks after the fateful tournament, Daniel happens upon a distraught Johnny, and Johnny takes more comfort in Daniel's presence than he'd like to.





	1. In the Woods

Johnny hadn’t seen Daniel since the tournament. He hadn’t seen much of anyone, really. His parents never saw what Kreese did to him and as far as they knew he was still going to classes at Cobra Kai for a couple hours every evening. Instead, he just rode his bike out to the middle of nowhere and mulled over his emotions with the only person he ever wanted to share them with: himself. Sometimes he’d just ride his bike for hours, trying to get far enough from home that he’d get up the courage to make a break for it and never come back, but he always chickened out and turned towards home. Tonight he didn't bother with that, and rode out to the nearby woods where he propped his bike up against a tree and set off walking down a random path. If there were any fallen leaves or twigs in his way, he’d go out of his way to step on them.

Snap, crunch, snap, crunch. It satisfied the part of him that needed to break something, as if somehow crushing enough leaves and snapping enough twigs would heal his own pain. The sun was beginning to set, welcoming twilight into the forest. Even Johnny had to admit it was beautiful at dusk, and he could never muster up much care for the beauty of nature. He used to come to these woods after class with some of the other Cobra Kai students. Usually, they'd sneak some beer or weed or see who could start a fire the quickest by rubbing two sticks together. Once they set off some fireworks and one clipped Dutch on the shoulder. Johnny got the sinking feeling that those days were over.

For some time he was worried that one of his friends would tattle on Kreese and his mother (or worse, his stepdad) would be getting a phone call from a concerned parent asking them how their poor battered son was doing after his sensei choked him out, but none of them raised a stink about it. It wouldn’t be a bad thing if they did, Johnny knew. His parents, and likely a few others, would want harsh words with Kreese, maybe even legal action, and Kreese would deserve it. Johnny just didn’t want to have that conversation with his parents. His mom would be a wreck and blame herself for not paying more attention, and his stepdad would no doubt find a way to insert his opinion that Johnny was a weakling and a loser after all into the conversation even while he feigned anger. _What kind of man would pick on someone so much weaker than himself,_ he'd say. Johnny could hear it so clearly in his head that he might as well have said it already, and he had no intention of facing up to it for real.

Besides, Daniel’s sensei had humiliated Kreese, and although Johnny wished it could’ve been literally anyone else, _anyone_ but one of those two that had come to his rescue, in his mind it was punishment enough.

He occasionally practiced his form and technique when he wandered off alone like this, trying to convince himself that it wasn’t pointless. Aside from Ali, karate was the only thing he’d been passionate about in the last few years. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing both. He’d keep doing karate, without a sensei, without a dojo, without his crew. Lone wolf suited him better than pack leader anyways. As much as he’d tried to get his act together, he was still a hooligan, the no-good ace degenerate.

He was told to sweep the leg and he did. He felt bad about it, he gave Kreese his best don’t-make-me-do-that look, but he did it. _Ex-degenerate my ass_ , he thought, _actions speak louder than words_.

He balled his fists so tightly that even his short nails made visible dents in his palms and with a shout he smashed one fist into a nearby tree. His angry yell quickly devolving into a pained yelp and he clutched his hand close to his chest. Johnny could see a bit of blood and scraped-off skin streaked against the bark.

_Of course, it hurt. It’s a tree, not a wooden board, idiot._

And yet somehow, it made him feel good even as it hurt. He looked at his knuckles. They were scraped and red but not bleeding too much. Certainly better than the hamburger meat that Kreese was left with after punching those car windows. He flexed his fingers a few times, making sure his stupid tantrum didn’t break any bones before he continued walking further into the woods.

“Johnny?” a voice said, and Johnny whipped around to see who’d followed him here.

Surely it couldn’t be -

“LaRusso,” he sighed, because of _course,_ it was, “How the hell’d you find me out here?”

“Mr. Miyagi’s house is close by. I was on my way home. I saw your bike and I heard someone shout,” he said, “I thought you were hurt or something. I mean, I didn’t even know it was _you_.”

Daniel shuffled his feet awkwardly, one hand behind his head. Johnny wasn’t exactly his first choice of companion either, but they were both here now.

“You just follow random voices into the woods, huh?” Johnny said, “Great way to get shanked, LaRusso.”

“You gonna shank me?” Daniel said, noticing that Johnny’s uninjured hand was still balled up into a fist, “Or are you just gonna hit me to make yourself feel better?”

Johnny tensed up, clenching his jaw almost as tightly as his fist before he relaxed and exhaled, breath visible against the cool evening air like a puff of smoke. The tournament was over. No one was stopping him from beating the crap out of Daniel now.

No one except himself, apparently.

_Dammit, Johnny, you can’t even do the degenerate thing right anymore!_

“What do you want?” Johnny said.

“I - nothing, I guess,” Daniel said, but it was as if his feet were frozen to the spot.

There was an elephant in the room that neither of them wanted to address directly. Daniel had not only won the tournament, he’d seen Johnny in a moment of weakness - or rather, something _Johnny_ would consider a moment of weakness even if Daniel didn’t think it was really fair to pit a teenager against some jacked-up drill sergeant of a sensei - and Mr. Miyagi had to step in and save him. That was a lot to deal with, from a person you had a less-than-amicable relationship with from the start. Daniel didn't really want to deal with it, either, but the thought of just ditching Johnny left him with too much guilt.

“Thanks,” Daniel said, trying to break the ice, “For being such a good sport about the tournament, I mean. I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome I guess,” Johnny said, and that was all that he could say because truthfully he wasn’t expecting it, either.

There was a moment that passed between them when the tournament ended and Johnny passed the trophy off to Daniel, something like mutual respect that they didn’t want to admit out loud after everything they’d been through, but it was there. Daniel never expected to hear _‘you’re alright, LaRusso’_ from the guy who thought it was funny just a few months earlier to drive his bike off the road, and Johnny never expected to be saying it to the scrawny Jersey kid that stole his girl, but here they were.

“Hey, uh, d’you mind if I ask you something?” Daniel said.

“What is it?” Johnny said.

“Did that douchebag tell you to do that illegal move?” Daniel said.

“ _Sensei Kreese_ ” Johnny hissed, still prepared to defend his disgraced teacher against Daniel’s bad-mouthing for reasons he didn’t even fully understand.

Old habits die hard. Before the tournament, Johnny would have gone to bat for Kreese’s honor, any time, any place. He was the only role model Johnny had.

Daniel sighed, but Mr. Miyagi taught him to pick his battles wisely and trying to poke holes in the years-long complicated relationship Johnny had with his sensei wasn’t the right battle right now. Johnny'd have to confront his feelings on that issue someday, but not when it was so raw.

“Did _sensei Kreese_ tell you to do that illegal move?” Daniel said.

“Does it matter?” Johnny said, “I did it.”

“You were fighting fair the entire tournament until you went to talk to him, then suddenly you play dirty? Come on. I guess it kinda seems like regular you. But not the you I saw at the tournament,” Daniel said.

“You don’t know shit about regular me,” Johnny said, “...Yeah, I didn’t wanna do it. I wanted to beat your ass, so don’t get me wrong, LaRusso, but I didn’t want to cheapen it like that. Karate’s been my _thing_ for years now. This was my last year in the under-eighteen league and I hate that I went out like that.”

If only he had it in him to disobey, Johnny would have left the under-eighteen league with a strong legacy behind him. Now, he was just a villain, a bully kid from the bully dojo, a former champ who got face-kicked by a dark horse opponent that came out of nowhere.

“You can call me Daniel, you know, we’re not in...prison or military school,” Daniel said, “But I thought so. What about your friend?”

“Bobby? Yeah, he’d never have done that on his own. Shit, his mom was watching, I’ll bet she gave him hell for it,” Johnny said, “Does knowing that make your leg hurt less, LaRusso? Uh, Daniel. Whatever.”

“Nah, my leg’s been good for a couple days now. I’m just not pissed off at you for it or anything,” Daniel said.

“You woulda been if I won the tournament,” Johnny said.

“Yeah, I guess I might have been. But he was almost my sensei, too. If I didn’t see you there when I went to sign up, I would’ve just signed up,” Daniel said, “And I don’t think I would’ve done any differently. Hell, I painted Mr. Miyagi’s fence for hours and I didn’t even question that it was a karate lesson until after I was done. I just got lucky that he's a good guy and was really looking out for me.”

“You painted his fence?” Johnny said, face scrunched in confusion, “You know what, never mind, I don’t have time for your weird stories.”

Johnny and Daniel were both quiet for a moment before Johnny spoke up again, so quiet that Daniel almost didn’t hear him, “Tell Mr. Maggie I said thanks, I guess. For saving me.”

“Mr. _Miyagi_ ,” Daniel said, not entirely sure if Johnny was messing up his name on purpose just to be a dick.

A...kind of endearing dick, now that he wasn’t actively invested in making Daniel’s life hell. Daniel had spent so long thinking of Johnny as his nemesis, as just the biggest jerk in all of California, and he didn’t quite know what to do with himself now that his disdain had switched from Johnny to Kreese. Gone was the cartoon villain and in his place was a kid his age who had problems just like anyone else and managed to have some sense of honor and decency even after years of Kreese trying to scream any such concepts out of him.

“Fine, Mr. Miyagi, whatever,” Johnny said.

“I’ll tell him,” Daniel said, smiling a little.

He considered telling Johnny what Mr. Miyagi had said. There are no bad students, only bad teachers. Johnny didn’t seem like the sort who would be receptive to that particular brand of Miyagi wisdom, though. He was more of a practical guy, the sort that preferred quiet respect to poetics.

Johnny started to turn away again, not sure what else there was to say to Daniel. Some part of him still wanted to hate him after all of this, despite the fact that he was showing some kindness right now. Without Daniel, Johnny would’ve won the tournament just like he did for the last three years. Kreese would’ve moved him up to the adult lessons and started training him for the over-eighteen tournament, and who knows where he would’ve gone from there.

Kreese would still be Kreese but dammit, Johnny would’ve been fine with that if he never lost and found out who his sensei _really_ was.

Or maybe he would’ve lost some years down the line, and they’d both be adults then, and when Kreese started taunting Johnny they’d get into an adult fight. Maybe they’d get seriously hurt, or end up in prison, or something worse. He couldn’t know how it would’ve worked out, and so he couldn’t entirely keep hating Daniel, either.

“I washed all of his cars, too,” Daniel said, the tension getting much too thick when they were both quiet, “I think he coulda squeezed a few more chores out of me if he really wanted to.”

“Damn, Daniel. You’re a fucking _chump_ , aren’t you?” Johnny said, but he managed to crack a smile about it, too.

In Johnny-speak, Daniel deduced, some light teasing was his way of saying ‘hey, I might be alright with you’, as some animals play-fight with each other. His way of saying ‘hey, I really don’t like you’ was to punch you in the face, which by some heavenly grace still hadn’t happened yet.

“But I’m the fucking chump that thought sensei Kreese actually gave a damn about me,” Johnny said under his breath.

He didn’t want to admit it out loud, at least he thought he didn’t, but some small part of him was relieved just to have said it. Why, of all people, was Daniel LaRusso the first one he could admit it to? He knew he couldn’t tell his parents, but ever since the tournament he hadn’t even been able to talk to his friends. He still liked them well enough but their friendship started with a connection that had been severed. They hung out because they were Cobra Kai. They hung out because they thought Kreese was the best and wanted to be just like him. They hung out because they were the strongest kids in school and didn’t take any shit from anyone. It was tough to lose that. Trying to feel out a new place in this world with them seemed a lot more difficult than spilling his guts to Daniel right now.

“You thought a guy who pretended to give a damn about you actually gave a damn about you, geez, y’know they hang people for that back in Jersey, right?” Daniel said, rolling his eyes a little, “It’s not your fault, okay? Everyone wants someone to care about them like that. Red flags aren’t always as obvious as they should be.”

Daniel had his mother _and_ Mr. Miyagi looking out for him. Without Kreese, did Johnny have anyone? Given that he was out here punching trees to get his anger out, it didn’t really seem like it.

Johnny turned away and Daniel, unexpectedly, put a hand on his shoulder. Johnny wasn’t used to that sort of comfort from the people he liked, let alone someone who was maybe still his enemy. He spun around, catching Daniel off guard as he grabbed him by the wrist with one hand, his other hand raised in a fist.

“Don’t touch me, LaRusso,” Johnny said, sneering, falling back into his usual way of talking to Daniel, “Why am I even talking to you?”

Daniel had his guard up, too, but didn’t want to make a fist or anything visible like that just in case it would agitate Johnny even more. Thankfully, his fighting style was more defensive than the all-out aggression of Cobra Kai. He shifted his feet on the ground to get into a better position to dodge, and Johnny, teeth bared, didn’t even look down. That was the Cobra Kai way. Look your enemy in the eye and show them who’s boss. It had its used but it had its drawbacks, too.

There was no fight. Johnny relented and let go, kicking a stray pebble with one foot. It bounced down the path, disappearing into a bush.

“Alright, I should go, it’s getting late,” Daniel said, and Johnny knew all too well that ‘it’s getting late’ was (translated straight from wimp talk) ‘I’m making an excuse to leave so we don’t have to fight’.

Daniel certainly wasn’t a wimp anymore but he still talked like one. It was kind of cute, Johnny thought before he mentally kicked himself for thinking something like that. Enemies aren’t cute. LaRussos aren’t cute. _Boys_ aren’t cute.

“You don’t have to,” Johnny said, “It’s a free country. I don’t own the forest. It’s not like you’re trespassing or something.”

With that Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets (wincing briefly as his freshly scraped knuckles rubbed against the rough fabric of his jeans) and briskly walked away. Dammit, why did he say such a stupid thing? He could’ve finished this quickly with a good old-fashioned _go fuck yourself_ , but had to blurt something out that kind of, just kind of, meant ‘I want you to stay’.

Johnny sat down in the dirt in a spot where the trees began to clear up and give way to water. He picked up a stone and threw it at the water, where it sunk with a plop. He never could get the hang of skipping stones, probably because he insisted on throwing overhand. The plop and the ripples were the best part, anyway.

When the ripples cleared, another stone hit the water. This one skipped along twice before sinking into the depths below. Johnny didn’t bother to look over his shoulder and see who it was. The chances of there being more than one person here at all was slim to none, and Daniel was definitely enough of a nerd to learn how to skip a stone properly.

The corners of his mouth turned up a little, and he threw another stone into the water. Daniel skipped one of his own afterward. They sat a few feet apart, saying nothing, both of them staring out at the lake instead of at each other. There was no noise but the sound of stones against the surface of the water and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees.

Johnny didn’t _like_ Daniel LaRusso (at least, that was what he kept telling himself) but he didn’t mind if they sat quietly together.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Johnny wasn’t alone.


	2. The Offer

_1981._

_“Lawrence!” Kreese shouted, and Johnny stood up straight as a broom._

_“Yes, sensei?” Johnny said._

_“Lead the class for a few minutes,” Kreese said._

_Johnny just stood there like a deer in the headlights, mouth agape. He scanned the room just to make sure no one else named Lawrence had snuck into the class while he wasn’t looking._

_When Johnny started taking karate lessons he was a small, scrawny kid that barely ever got any direct attention from Kreese. Someone was always picked to lead the class for a bit or to call points during a match, but it was never him. He envied some of the older students, the ones who made it on the tournament team, and wished desperately that he could find a way to shine. Surely Kreese would see his potential, if only he got a chance. He finally hit his growth spurt and was getting taller and stronger, but this was the first time he was actually called out._

_“Are you gonna lead or are you stand there, Lawrence?” Kreese said._

_“Yes, sensei!” Johnny said, “I mean, uh, I’m going to lead, sensei!”_

_He heard some scattered snickering from the rest of the class and had to resist the urge to slouch over and make himself smaller._

_“Quiet!” Kreese said, and the laughter stopped in an instant as if someone had hit the mute button on a remote control, “Mr. Lawrence is in charge until I return, is that clear?”_

_“Yes, sensei!” the other students said, standing quietly and attentively in line as Johnny made his way to the front._

_...At least, they were quiet and attentive until Kreese was out of sight, at which point most of them started goofing off. They were a disciplined group, for the most part, but they were disciplined for Kreese and his favorite students, not for a no-name like Johnny Lawrence. Johnny bit his lip. He knew that if Kreese came back and no one was behaving, it’d be him that took all of the blame. He was the leader, everything was dependent on him._

_“In line!” Johnny said, in his normal indoor speaking voice._

_No one even turned to look at him._

_“I said get in line!” Johnny yelled, and of course, it was at that moment that Johnny’s voice cracked, making him sound less like the growing young teen he was and more like the small boy he used to be._

_The snickering broke out again, and this time it grew into all-out laughter. Johnny couldn’t stop his shoulders from slumping this time, and he raised his hands to cover his face so no one would see him blushing like an idiot._

_This can’t be happening, he thought, this was his one chance to stand out and he was going to fail and then he’d never be chosen again. There went all of his karate dreams. It wasn’t even fair! He dropped his hands from his face and clenched his fists, blood boiling at all the laughing faces._

_He shouldn’t have been picked to lead! He was still too young to control the class! Was Kreese just picking on him, too? Was he being set up to fail? The thought of being a laughingstock in the one thing he’d managed to dedicate himself to and find happiness in these last few years just sent him over the edge._

_There was a kid nearby laughing along with everybody else. A younger, smaller kid with light blonde hair. He reminded Johnny of himself, in a way. A version of himself that he was trying desperately to break away from. In his rage, that was all he saw._

_“What do you think you’re laughing at?!” he said, his voice still cracking a bit._

_This time, the kid stopped laughing. Johnny absolutely towered over him, and even a cracking voice could be intimidating when it was right in your face._

_“Nothing!” the kid said, and Johnny shoved him up against the wall with both hands._

_“I didn’t realize they started letting liars in this dojo!” Johnny said, “Now you’re gonna tell me what the fuck you were laughing at.”_

_Johnny grabbed the front of the kid’s uniform and slammed him against the wall again. There were still isolated chuckles but most of the other students were watching him attentively now._

_“You,” the kid squeaked out, barely above a whisper._

_“I can’t hear you, shit-for-brains!” Johnny said, imitating the tough guys he saw when he snuck into R-rated movies more than anything that came naturally to him. Authority wasn’t exactly his forte yet._

_“You!” the kid said, shaking._

_“You think it’s fun to laugh at guys who could kick your ass? Are you that stupid or do you just have a death wish?” Johnny said, face red from all the yelling, flecks of spittle landing on the kid’s face._

_“Everyone else was -” the kid started to say, but Johnny cut him off._

_“Everyone else walks off a fucking bridge and you do it too, is that it?” he said, this time parroting something his stepdad had told him once when he was caught with a joint._

_“No,” the kid said, “I’m sorry.”_

_“Nah, you’re not sorry yet. I’m gonna make you sorry, then we’ll see how sorry you are,” Johnny said, raising one clenched fist._

_He hesitated for a moment. There was some small voice in the back of his head that was watching this kid, this kid who’d just barely hit puberty, cower in front of him and was telling him that this wasn’t right. And then there was a louder voice drowning it out. He didn’t want to be a joke. He didn’t want to be a pussy. He struck, and the next thing he knew the kid was lying on the floor. Everyone was quiet. Not orderly, not in line, but quiet, at least._

_Kreese came back and took a look around, lips pursed. Johnny expected to get yelled at, but it didn’t happen. Kreese barely even looked him._

_“Back in line!” Kreese said, and everyone obeyed._

_Johnny went to the back of the class, sheepish. The kid got up and ran to the opposite corner, and Johnny couldn’t help but notice how half-heartedly he did the rest of the night’s exercises._

_Johnny didn’t sleep very well that night and he hung his head low in the car as his mother drove him to the next day’s karate lesson. His stomach hurt. Why’d he have to punch that kid? What if he was really hurt? What if one of the other kids told on him? He didn’t even want to show his face there, but there was no way he could skip out without looking suspicious now. He resolved to apologize to the kid and to Kreese instead, no matter how difficult that seemed._

_“Lawrence,” Kreese said sternly, as soon as he entered the dojo, “I’d like to see you in the back.”_

_Johnny’s heart sunk. This was it. He’d blown it, big time, and now he was going to get an earful from his sensei. He looked around and swallowed hard when he didn’t see the kid anywhere, but he slowly started to shuffle towards the back room._

_“Is there anything wrong?” his mother said, concerned._

_“No. Just a performance review. It’s that time of year, you know; you can go home,” Kreese said, and as much as Johnny wanted to be relieved that his mother wouldn’t be involved in this conversation, the words ‘performance review’ sent chills down his spine._

_By the time Johnny arrived in Kreese’s office (which, to be fair, he did drag his feet in getting there as much as possible) Kreese was already seated at his desk, a lit cigarette in one hand._

_“So I’ve been told you had a bit of an altercation with Williams last night,” Kreese said._

_Johnny didn’t even know that the kid’s last name was Williams, but he nodded, wishing he could sink into the chair._

_“Stop slouching, Lawrence, you’ve got height now, don’t waste it,” Kreese said, and Johnny straightened up, “Anyways, Mrs. Williams gave me a call this morning. She told me her son wants to drop the class.”_

_Johnny opened his mouth but no words came out. Great, not only did he punch a kid in the face but his recklessness had lost a client for his sensei. Johnny was frankly surprised that Kreese wasn’t fuming._

_Instead, Kreese almost smiled, taking a puff of his cigarette, “I’m surprised he didn’t drop sooner. I tried, but he was getting winded before the end of class every single day.”_

_“Uh, he has asthma, I think,” Johnny said._

_“Everyone’s got an excuse,” Kreese said, “Do you know why I put you in charge last night?”_

_“Because you had to step out for a bit, sensei?” Johnny said, and he immediately knew that was a stupid answer but Kreese just burst out laughing._

_“You’re funny, kid,” Kreese said, “Bill’s my all-star right now. Best pupil I’ve ever had. He’s a winner, and he’s going to win this year, too. But there’s one problem, do you know what that is?”_

_Johnny had always looked up to Bill. At last year’s championship, Bill took the gold with only a single point scored against him. He was fighting on a level that Johnny could only hope to aspire to. A shame it was his last year - wait. Johnny perked up. That was it._

_“He’s seventeen,” Johnny said._

_“That’s right,” Kreese said, “This year’s his last year in the under-eighteen tournament and anyone who’s even close to matching him is going to be out this year or the next, too. I’m hoping to invest in someone who’s got at least a couple more years in him. I’m not promising you anything, but if you work hard enough at it I think you’ve got potential.”_

_“Really?” Johnny said, beaming._

_That was everything he ever wanted to hear. The knot in his stomach vanished, and so did most of his guilt. There was some lingering regret, but if he wasn’t even in trouble then surely what he did couldn’t have been too bad, right? Hell, he was being rewarded for it. At the end of the day, he was really just standing up for himself, wasn’t he? No one should expect him to just sit and take shit from other people._

_“If you’re interested I’ll put you in the advanced class with a few of the other boys your age,” Kreese said, nodding._

_“Of course I’m interested,” Johnny said._

_“That’s what I like to hear,” Kreese said, extending one hand towards Johnny, and they shook hands._

_Kreese’s grip was so strong compared to his own, he felt terribly inadequate despite his excitement. But everyone had to start somewhere, and for him, it was here._

_Today he could finally put the sad, weak Johnny Lawrence behind him._

* * *

 

It was Daniel who broke the silence first. “Do you think we would’ve been friends? If we didn’t meet the way we did, I mean,” he said.

Johnny looked over at him, “No.”

“Why not?” Daniel asked.

He got the same feeling. They wouldn’t have been friends, even if Daniel hadn’t fallen for Ali, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why he felt that way.

“You were new. You were all alone. And you have no idea when to shut up and who not to pick fights with,” Johnny said, “You’re an easy target. That’s the high school food chain for you.”

Daniel paused for a moment, “What if we met before all of...that? I mean, I’m sure you weren’t born knowing the rules of high school.”

“I dunno. I guess so. I probably would’ve been friends with anyone back then, though,” Johnny said, “So don’t feel too special about it.”

Daniel was surprised to hear that. Johnny was a tough guy, but perhaps more importantly than that he was a rich kid. At least, Daniel assumed he must be, with his motorbike and car and fancy clothes. Not to mention the way he acted like he could get away with everything with nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

When Daniel thought of Johnny he always thought of someone who coasted through life, someone who had an easy ride to the top. It was easy to hate someone like that who still chose to act the way Johnny acted, but Daniel was willing to concede that Johnny was more complex than he’d originally thought, even if he didn’t entirely forgive him yet.

“What, you mean you weren’t a five-year-old badass?” Daniel said.

“No,” Johnny said with a grin, “But I’m glad you think I’m a badass now.”

“That wasn’t what I meant and you know it!” Daniel said.

“Nah, there’s no taking that one back, LaRusso. You think I’m a badass,” Johnny said.

“Okay, okay, fine,” Daniel said, trying to recover from that slip of the tongue, “I did win the tournament, though. So I’m even more of a badass.”

Johnny scoffed, “Oh, you are _not_.”

“What? Are you gonna switch to being a sore loser already?” Daniel teased.

“I didn’t say you sucked at karate. You’re great at karate. You’re just not a badass,” Johnny said, “I’ll admit being great at karate and being a badass usually go hand in hand, but what can I say, you made it work.”

At that moment Daniel was sure of two things: one, Johnny was absolutely the most infuriating person on the face of this earth (even if he was maybe kind of a little bit alright) and two, they were not leaving this forest until Johnny stopped being a stubborn jerk and just admitted that he was cool.

( _Why_ did he care about that? That was something for future Daniel to ponder on.)

“Yeah? Same could be said for you, then,” Daniel said.

Johnny just laughed that obnoxious, self-assured laugh of his, “No it couldn’t.”

“Why not?” Daniel crossed his arms, unaware that crossing your arms and pouting like that definitely didn’t fit Johnny’s definition of badass, “Just because you’ve got a cool jacket and a motorbike?”

“Now you think my jacket’s cool? Sheesh, Daniel, are you _trying_ to flirt with me?” Johnny said, “No, it’s about attitude, too. You can have a motorbike and still be a nerd.”

“Well, I’m sure someone thinks you’re a nerd, too,” Daniel said.

Johnny smirked at him and raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Daniel said.

Johnny thought on it for a bit, before he reached into his pocket, “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. Say, d’you wanna smoke with me?”

Johnny held out his palm. In it was a tightly rolled joint. Daniel’s eyes widened and he almost jumped back, “ _Jesus,_ Johnny, what if we get caught? You could go to jail for that!”

Johnny stuffed the joint back into his pocket and laughed again, somehow even more obnoxious than usual, “And _that_ is why you’re not a badass. I could give you some lessons sometime if you ask really nicely.”

“No thanks,” Daniel said with a huff, “I’ll manage on my own.”

“Sure you will,” Johnny said, “You know, you’re not bad. For a total loser.”

“You’re not bad for a total asshole,” Daniel said.

“I think we could’ve been friends,” Johnny admitted, “If we’d have met a few years back. I don’t think you would’ve liked me much any time after that, and I don’t know if we would’ve stayed friends for very long, but we could’ve been for a little while.”

“I mean,” Daniel said, hesitating, working over if he really wanted to say what he was about to say.

“You mean what?” Johnny said.

“Nothing,” Daniel said, “I was just thinking out loud.”

“Oh,” Johnny said.

Johnny was a jerk, there was no question about it. He’d injured Daniel multiple times now. He pushed him down a hill. He and the other Cobras were a significant factor in making his life in California so damned miserable until Mr. Miyagi stepped in.

Daniel remembered what Mr. Miyagi said about forgiveness. Someone who can never forgive is bound to end up bitter and miserable.

“I guess,” Daniel said, “What I was going to say was, we can be friends now. I _guess_.”

“...Why would you ever want to be friends with me?” Johnny said, “I hurt you.”

“Yeah, you did,” Daniel said, “And I’m not a pushover. I’m not gonna be friends with someone who treats me like that.”

“That’s still who I am, even if I’m not directing it at you,” Johnny said.

“That’s bullshit!” Daniel said, standing up, “You’re like that because you _want_ to be like that. If you want to be different, you can choose to be different. If you want to be friends with me you can stop being awful to people.”

Johnny looked up at Daniel before scrambling to his feet as well. He knew that Daniel was right, and deep down he’d always known it. He was the way he was because he liked it, because he admired people who acted like that, and because he was afraid of what the alternative was.

“Yeah, I want to be like that,” Johnny said, “I still do.”

“Why, so you too can grow up and beat up kids that disappoint you?” Daniel said.

“Because it’s better than being a goddamned wuss that everyone walks all over,” Johnny said.

Daniel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “And that’s it? Those are the only two options in the world? If you stop starting fights and harassing people everyone’s gonna say ‘hey, this six-foot-whatever karate champion looks like an easy target’?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Johnny said.

“How?” Daniel asked.

“Well, what if someone’s talking shit about you? Or they pick a fight with you?” Johnny said.

“I never said you couldn’t fight back. Believe me, you’re the last guy I expect to pick up pacifism,” Daniel said.

“Yeah,” Johnny said with a nod, “So if a guy comes up to me and says I’m a pussy, I break his fucking nose.”

“ _No_ , that’s not - Johnny, you know there are a lot of things in between ‘sit down and take it’ and ‘no mercy’, right?” Daniel said.

“Yes, but I don’t...really know how to do that,” Johnny said.

“How to do what?” Daniel said.

“You know, not just...reacting,” Johnny said.

“ _Ah_ ,” Daniel said, “That’s called _thinking before you act_ , something us nerds excel at and you badasses have a lot of trouble with.”

Johnny snorted, “Yeah well I’d still rather be a badass.”

“And you don’t have to stop, but maybe hanging out with someone who didn’t cheer you on every time you acted like a dick would help balance you out a little. We don’t have to be friends,” Daniel said, “We could just be...I dunno, sparring partners. You could come out and practice with me instead of wandering around attacking the forest.”

“If you’re just offering because you feel bad about what Kreese did to me for losing, you don’t have to,” Johnny said, “You won fair and square. What he did has nothing to do with you. I don’t need pity.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Daniel said.

He didn’t know why he was so compelled to try and find some good in Johnny and push this hot-headed prettyboy towards something better. Maybe it was just because he’d want someone to do the same for him. Maybe there was just something he liked about Johnny, despite everything.

“Alright. I need someone to spar with anyways,” Johnny said, shrugging.

Johnny was looking forward to it no matter how casual he acted. Hell, he nearly took Daniel up on his offer to just be friends but saying sparring partners just made it easier to swallow.

“Great. We can meet up here tomorrow, then,” Daniel said, “It’s getting dark. We should both head home.”

“Well, I like the dark, but you’ve probably got some extra-credit homework to do or something,” Johnny said.

“Okay, I’m not _that_ much of a nerd,” Daniel said.

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to prove that,” Johnny said, grinning.

“Whatever,” Daniel laughed as he ran back to his bike.

“God, how desperate am I,” Johnny said to himself once Daniel had left his line of sight, but no matter how much he was mentally kicking himself he couldn’t bring himself to cancel the plans he made with Daniel.


End file.
